yclinical & schoolSuMMER 2011

Virtual DrivingStudying teen drivers with autism.

Driving a car is an important step toward independence for adolescents and young adults, but there are no legal restrictions on driving with autism spectrum disorder.“The symptoms of Asperger’s and high-functioning autism make learning to drive

particularly challenging for individuals with this disorder,” said Ron Reeve, director of the Curry School Clinical and School Psychology program.

Reeve is co-investigator with Daniel Cox, professor of behavioral medicine in the School of Medicine, on a new study funded with a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. The grant will allow them to examine whether virtual reality driving simulators can be used effectively to train and evaluate the driving skills of teens with Asperger’s and HFA.

“For example, they may hyper-focus on one aspect of driving,” Reeve said, “and struggle with the multi-tasking required to simultaneously keep the car in the correct lane, maintain an appropriate distance from the car ahead, attend to a changing stoplight or other signal.”

The benefits of using the virtual reality driving simu-lator are multi-fold. The simulator offers safe exposure to challenging defensive driving demands. It also can play back and rehearse challenging maneuvers without the potential human element of getting frightened or

“The symptoms of Asperger’s and high-functioning autism make learning to drive particularly challenging ”

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/// The driving simulator.

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Inside

Editor: Ron Reeve, Directorclinical and school psychology program

Clinical & School Psychology is published by the curry school of education and is sponsored by the curry school of education Foundation, p.o. Box 400276, charlottesville, Va 22904

http://curry.virginia.edu/clinpsychnewsletter

The Curry Alumni Portal get more news about fellow alumni and upcoming events: curry.virginia.edu/alumni

Curry in the RankingsIn 2011, the curry school of Education was ranked 22nd among graduate schools of education by U.S. News & World Report. six program areas were ranked in the top 15:

• Special Education• Secondary Education• educational policy• Elementary Education• administration & supervision• curriculum & instruction

Help and Hope, p. 2Program Faculty p. 2Alumni Features, p. 3Class Notes, p. 4

psychology

Student oversees ongoing services for Roma children

she was 17 when she first met the Roma children living in a dank orphanage, neglected and abused.

Their dark eyes and vacant stares broke Clare Vierbuchen’s heart, and she couldn’t forget what she saw on that high school community service trip.

Now more than a decade later, the children are the first thing on her mind every morning when she wakes up. More often than not, the morning finds her on the phone with several of them, checking to make sure they are safe and keeping up with their schoolwork before she, herself, heads to school.

Vierbuchen is a doctoral student in the clini-cal psychology program at the Curry School. At the same time, however, she runs both a group home and an after-school community center for children in the northern Romania town of Bistrita.

While she was a junior at Princeton University, she and some friends set up a nonprofit organization called Open Doors Romania. With the money she raised, she opened a group home called House of Hope. She rescued five children from the state orphanage, hired carefully selected foster par-ents to care for them, and gave them a chance for a normal life.

Still not satisfied, she then opened a com-munity center where children could spend time after school, eat a nutritious meal, get clean clothes and school supplies, take showers and get help with their homework.

“The Roma people are viewed as a waste of time over there,” Vierbuchen said. “I don’t

know how many people have told me that I’m wasting my time.” She knows better, though. She says her center helps kids get somewhere in life, so they don’t repeat the cycle of neglect and abandonment.

After Princeton she spent two years in Romania, then returned stateside to earn her master’s degree at the Curry School, where she found the clinical psychology program she was looking for – one with a children-and-families focus and ample opportunities for hands-on experience. “The program has given me a new way of thinking about these kids and a better way of helping them,” she explained.

Now in Curry’s doctoral program, she says the children are never far from her thoughts. She makes the 12-hour flight to Romania every chance she gets – summer break, Thanksgiving, winter break and again over spring break. “The kids are so great, so impressive,” she said. “I love working with them.”

help & hope

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frustrated with the driving performance of HFA trainees.

Over the summer, the study has included 20 HFA teenagers, each with a learner’s permit. Half the teens are receiving virtual reality driv-ing simulator training. Once the participants have reviewed specific driving maneuvers, they will be applied in progressively more demand-ing virtual traffic and road conditions.

The other half of the study group will receive

whatever training they would normally receive. For example, these teens will potentially receive on-the-road training with parents and driv-er’s education instructors or even professional driver’s training. Both study groups will be evaluated afterward by qualified, independent driving evaluators who will not know who did and did not receive the virtual reality training.

The study expects to report its findings by the summer of 2012.

/// Clare Vierbuchen

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Read more about these stories and others at curry.virginia.edu/clinpsychnewsletter

Core Faculty of the C&SP Program

Ron Reeve is currently director of the program. his research and clinical interests are now focused primarily on autism spectrum dis-orders. Ann Loper has particular interest in the social and familial adjustment of correctional populations, includ-ing helping incarcerated parents make healthy connections with their children. Peter Sheras is the chair of the curry school’s department of human services. he works in bully-ing prevention and intervention, in crisis intervention, and in couple and family relationship issues.Winx Lawrence has developed a mentoring program that pairs ado-lescent girls with college women, the young Women leaders program. She also works with the Family empowerment project, supporting multi-problem families.Antoinette Thomas splits time between our program and the counselor education program. She has particular expertise in diversity issues, school consultation, and psychotherapy with children and adolescents.Lisa Locke-Downer works with children and young adults using a cognitive-behavioral framework, focusing on anxiety, depression, and behavioral concerns. She was director of the center for clinical psychology services before reducing her role to half time in order to cope with her one-year-old triplets.Patrick Tolan is our newest core faculty member. he came to the curry school to direct youth-nex, The u.Va. center to promote effective youth development. previously he was director of the institute for Juvenile research in chicago. he is a national leader in prevention and intervention research with adolescents. For information about youth-nex, visit curry.virginia.edu/youth-nex

Driving Study continued from page 1

Peg Dawson has enjoyed a long and distinguished career since earning her doctor of education degree from

the Curry School in 1978. Her career has been characterized by a successful practice as a school psychologist in both public and private settings but also by years of professional leadership at the state, national, and international levels.

Dawson helped found the New Hampshire Association of School Psychologists in 1983 and was its second president. She is also a past president of both the National Association of School Psychologists and the International School Psychology Association, and she has edited the NASP newsletter, Communiqué.

Her path to leadership started with her preparation at Curry, where she was able to combine work in the areas of psychology and learning disabilities for a dissertation based on multidisciplinary research. Professor Dick Abidin, she says, was a role model in leader-ship. Then she credits serendipity. A colleague asked her to run as a New Hampshire delegate to the NASP, and she won—most likely, she says, because of her name recognition with the state association.

“Once I became involved at the national level, it became irresistible,” she says. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (P.L. 94-142) had been passed in 1975. “The field was really changing and grappling with the changes,” she remembers. “I had ideas about that. When you have ideas, you speak up, and when you speak up, you are asked to hold higher office.” Thinking about how the field could grow and change propelled her to leader-ship, she believes.

When the ISPA presented its Distinguished Service Award to her last year, her colleague Peter Whelley noted, “Peg is current in her clinical practice and scholarly publications while at the same time having a vision for the future. She is aware of the times in which we live and also can envision the time to come. These are hallmarks of a true leader.”

While she considers herself nowhere near the end of her career, Dawson is finally ready to step back from some of the demands of leader-ship and reduce the number of “irons in the

fire,” she says. “I like my work, but I would like more time on weekends for myself.”

For those just beginning their careers, Dawson has this advice, “I didn’t always have the best jobs. Sometimes I moved for personal rather than professional reasons. But no matter how unfulfilling a particular job was, I tried to find some aspect that would give me satisfac-tion, maybe learning something new or pairing with a coworker doing interesting work. The perfect job doesn’t exist. Pick one thing you want to get better at. Do it in a little way. You never know where it is going to lead you.”

Peg DawsonAlumni BriefsLela R. McKnight-Eily (m.ed. ‘99, ph.d. ‘03) works as a clinical psycholo-gist/epidemiologist for the centers for disease control and prevention in atlanta. lela says, “public health is an exciting field because my work as an epidemiolo-gist can positively impact health pol-icy and broad level societal changes on a domestic and global level.” lela was recently interviewed by nBc nightly news for her sleep study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. She is the mother of “an absolutely amazing one-year-old boy.”

Michael B. Ripski (m.ed. ‘06, ph.d. ‘10) was recently promoted to execu-tive director of The achievement network in new orleans, where he helps schools raise student achievement by teach-ing school leaders how to develop teachers and training them how to utilize student learning data.“i get to be part of educational transformation that is improv-ing the life opportunities of kids in new orleans,” he says. michael is engaged to marry morgan carter.

Suzie Button (M.Ed. ‘93, ph.d. ‘97) is assistant execu-tive director for quality and clinical outcomes at astor services for children & Families in rhinebeck, n.y., a behavioral health agency for children & youth. she says she loves mentoring young professionals and working with digital tools for improv-ing clinical practice. last year she received an outcome champion award from the praed Foundation. she has four-year-old twins, sam and molly. suzie says, “my husband dean and i are very tired, very joyful late in life parents.”

/// Margaret M. “Peg” Dawson M.Ed. ‘74, Ed.D. ‘78

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Read more about each of these alumni at curry.virginia.edu/clinpsychnewsletter

Learn more about the c&sp program at curry.virginia.edu/academics/areas-of-study

Peg Dawson’s Career at a Glance Professional Experience•16 years as a school psychologist in Maine and New Hampshire•19 years in private practice at the Center for Learning and Attention Disorders in Portsmouth, N.H.

Areas of expertise: Learning and attention disorders, and executive skills in children and adolescentsBooks Written with Co-Author Richard Guare (Ph.D. ’82)•Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents (2nd ed.) •Smart but Scattered •Coaching the Student with Executive Skills

Deficits (forthcoming)Awards•Lifetime Achievement Award (NASP, 2006)•Distinguished Services Award (ISPA, 2010)

A True Leader in the Profession

Submit your class note at curry.virginia.edu/classnotes

Leila Azarbad (M.Ed. ’02, Ph.D. ’06) is cur-rently an assistant professor of psychology at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. Susan Bartels (M.A. ’79, Ph.D. 82) is a pro-fessor in the psychology department at Towson University in Baltimore, Md.Nicole Beadles (Ph.D. ’06) is a school psy-chologist at South Lakes High School in Reston, Va.Bill Belt (M.Ed. ’93, Ph.D. ’98) is a psycholo-gist with Bala Child & Family Associates in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.Karen Brockenbrough (Ph.D. ’01) works with the Virginia Treatment Center for Children at VCU in Richmond.Sue Burkholder (Ed.D. ’94) is a retired school administrator.Anna Flink (M.Ed. ’70) is enjoying retirement.Wendy Freedman (M.Ed. ’99, Ph.D. ’03) is assistant director at the Vassar College Counseling Service. She lives in Poughkeepsie, New York.Shawn Gewirtz (Ph.D. ’09) is a licensed clini-cal psychologist for Assessment & Diagnostic Services at Region Ten Community Service Board in Charlottesville.Kate Goldhaber (M.Ed. ’03, Ph.D. 07) is a staff therapist for The Family Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.Julia Green (Ph.D. ’80) is a clinical psycholo-gist at Oakland School in Boyd Tavern, Va.Dick Guare (Ph.D. ’82) is a psychologist and director of The Center for Learning and Attention Disorders in Portsmouth, NH.Kristen Gustavson (M.Ed. ’02, Ph.D. ’06) is a staff psychologist at Dartmouth College.

Janet Hansen (M.Ed. ’89, Ph.D. ’95) is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Hilliard, Ohio.Katrina Harbers (M.Ed. ’92, Ph.D. ’97) has retired from her supervisory position at a com-munity mental health clinic to care for her three kids. Emily Hauenstein (Ph.D. ’87), after being at the University of Virginia since 1976, has accepted a new position as associate dean for research at the University of Rochester.Beth Heller (Ph.D. ’05), after several years in private practice, accepted a position as associ-ate director of the Center for Psychological Services and Development at Virginia Commonwealth University. Karen Ingersoll (Ph.D. ’92) is an associate professor in the U.Va. School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry.Emily Jordon (M.Ed. ’99, Ph.D. ’03) is a preK-5 school psychologist for the local school district in Greene, N.Y. Karen B. Kahn (M.Ed. ’74, Ed.D. ’77) is an executive coach and principal of KM Advisors in Westport, Conn.Tina Lafiosca (M.Ed. ’77, Ph.D. ’81) lives in the Boston area and works part-time in the Developmental Medicine Center at Children’s Hospital and part time in her own child and family practice.Daniel Murrie (M.Ed. ‘98, Ph.D. ’02) works with the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy in the U.Va. School of Medicine.Maren Nyer (M.Ed. ’06, Ph.D. ’10) is a post-doctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Julie Pace (M.Ed. ’95, Ph.D. ’99) was pro-moted to director of the Center for Talented Youth’s Diagnostic and Counseling Center at Johns Hopkins University, where she has worked as a staff psychologist since finishing her internship in 1999. Nina Randolph (M.Ed. ‘70) serves on the new Curry Engagement Committee. Learn more at http://curry.virginia.edu/engagement.Elizabeth Saft (M.Ed. ’89, Ph.D. ’94) orga-nizes and co-directs a local chapter of “A Home Within,” a San Francisco-based nonprofit that provides free, long-term psychotherapy to cur-rent or former foster care recipients. Kristi Samuelson (M.Ed. ’94, Ph.D. ’98) was promoted to associate professor at the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University in San Francisco.Ana Sierra (Ph.D. ’89) is a clinical psycholo-gist with Developing Resilience in Tacoma, Wa.Sarah Sneed (Ph.D. ’99) is a clinical psychol-ogist in private practice in Westlake Village, Cal.Saritha Vermeer (M.Ed. ’92, Ph.D. ’97) works at HRC Behavioral Health and Psychiatry in Chapel Hill, NC. Eugenia Ware (Ph.D. ’86) and her husband John work part-time in Framingham, Ma., and are transitioning toward retirement. Patricia Worthey (M.A. ’88, Ph.D. ’92) is a psychologist for Evergreen Park Professionals in Everett, Wa.

class notes

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Read more about the alums listed here at curry.virginia.edu/clinpsychnewsletter